Dortmund stay top despite Nuremberg draw

Bundesliga league leaders Borussia Dortmund dropped their first points of the season on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg.

Having won their first five league games, Dortmund stumbled as left-back Marcel Schmelzer's first-half free-kick was cancelled out by Nuremberg centre-back Per Nilsson's second-half strike.

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp brought a weakened team with centre-back Mats Hummels missing with a back injury.

Star striker Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan started on the bench, rested after Borussia's 2-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli on Wednesday.

Dortmund remain a point clear at the top of the table, but Bayer Leverkusen moved up to second place with a 4-1 win at Mainz 05.

Australia star Robbie Kruse scored two first-half goals, his first Bundesliga goals for Leverkusen since joining from Fortuna Duesseldorf.

The 24-year-old drilled home a pass from Germany winger Sidney Sam after 19 minutes, set up Sven Bender for Leverkusen's second, then converted a pass from captain Simon Rolfes for Bayer's third just before half-time.

The league's joint top-scorer Stefan Kiessling then scored his fifth goal of the season when he headed home completely unmarked early in the second half, before Mainz midfielder Yunus Malli netted a late consolation.

The victory lifts Bayer over European champions Bayern Munich into second, but Pep Guardiola's Bavarians are at Schalke 04 later.

Hanover 96 stay fourth after a 2-1 win at home to Ausgburg with Hungary midfielder Szabolcs Huszti netting an 89th-minute penalty.

After sacking coach Thorsten Fink last week in the wake of their 6-2 drubbing at Dortmund, Hamburg slumped to their fourth defeat of the season at home to neighbours Werder Bremen.

Ex-Bayern Munich striker Nils Petersen scored both of Bremen's goals either side of half-time to compound their north German neighbours' misery in a 2-0 defeat.

Before the game Hamburg's director of sport Oliver Kreuzer confirmed ex-Holland coach Bert van Marwijk has been approached to replace Fink with Rodolfo Cardoso the current caretaker coach.

Wolfsburg moved up to sixth with a 2-1 win at home to Hoffenheim as Croatia's ex-Bayern striker Ivica Olic scored both Wolves goals.

Hoffenheim took the lead when French striker Anthony Modeste pounced on a mistake in the Wolves defence and fired home with a quarter of an hour gone.

Wolsburg came back with two goals in four minutes either side of half-time as Olic fired home from close range for both.